Steve Irwin crocodile Park, India's first crocodile park will be opened soon at Kerala's Neyyar Dam. The dam is situated in the capital district of India's southern state Kerala. The Steve Irwin crocodile Park is being named after Australia's famed "crocodile hunter" conservationist Steve Irwin, who met a tragic death last year when a sting ray attack pierced his heart during the filming of an underwater documentary.

The Steve Irwin crocodile park will have about 45 "Mugger" crocodiles usually found in the marshlands in Kerala, apart from one estuarine crocodile which was recently rescued from a Kerala beach.

In memory of Steve Irwin, the entrance to the croc park named after him will feature a metallic plaque of Steve Irwin holding a crocodile. Steve Irwin has appeared in numerous television documentaries chasing crocodiles, earning the moniker Crocodile Hunter. But Steve's love for the animal kingdom extended much beyond crocodiles. Steve used to regularly appear in Discovery Channel with pythons, tortoises and reptiles.

Though animals were dear to Steve's heart, animal activists have often described him as a publicity-crazy reality TV star who made use of animals to pursue his agenda. Steve Irwin also had to face ire when he was once videotaped with his baby in hands feeding a crocodile.

The Steve Irwin crocodile park will feature abundant greenery, besides walkways and enclosures. The design for the croc park was made the Zoo Authority of India.

The population of estuarine crocodiles has been dwindling recently due to destruction of coastal mangroves and environmental degradation.

The mugger crocodile is found largely in the Indian subcontinent, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and even some parts of southern Iran and Indo-China. This variety of crocodiles usually takes to the shallower waters of marshlands rather than fast streams of deep water. Some of them even survive in water canals and irrigation streams. Like the Cuban Crocodile, the Mugger Crocodile is also suited to live on land. During dry weather, the mugger crocodiles are known to dig tunnels for rest. Small and large mammals, fishes and water-borne animals form the major diet of this carnivore. It rarely attacks humans, though a child in Iran was reportedly killed by a mugger crocodile in 2006. Usually, animals which come to drink water from the stream or marsh are attacked by muggers.

Steve Irwin co-owned and operated the Australia Zoo, along with his wife Terri Irwin. Both his parents were in wildlife conservation, and Steve picked up his affinity for the animal kingdom from them. From the time he was a kid, Steve Irwin used to feed crocodiles at his father's zoo. At the young age of nine, he had his first wrestling with a crocodile, supervised by his father.

Steve became famous after his honeymoon video of him and his wife trapping crocodiles was telecast as the first part of Crocodile Hunter. From Australia, soon his fame spread to North America, where he became an icon of animal adventure.

Steve Irwin has also appeared in the series "The Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World." He became a very recognisable and much-loved TV performer across the world with his Australian accent, his khakis and the loud shout "Crikey!" on spotting a crocodile. He also appeared in the movie "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course". Steve Irwin has also appeared in "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Though he was seen by most as an adorable showman, Steve Irwin was much more that. He saw himself as a wildlife warrior, devoted to conserving the environment and sharing his excitement about the nature with the people, without being preachy.

Steve Irwin was shooting for his documentary "Ocean's Deadliest" off the Great Barrier Reef, when he swam close to a stingray, which felt threatened and stung him on the chest. The sting pierced his heart, and together with the rupture and the toxin, killed the Crocodile Hunter. When he was brought to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.

After his death, there was wild speculation that the live video of his death will be telecast on TV. However, the videographer handed over the tape to the authorities, who last month returned it to Terri Irwin. All copies were destroyed to prevent the video falling into wrong hands. The authorities took extra care to see that something of such a tragic personal nature did not go beyond the hands of Steve Irwin's family. There were earlier concerns that the video may even posted on the internet.

However, Steve Irwin now has some serious competition. Bindi, Steve's daughter is as much an animal lover as her father. Celebrity pressure is already mounting her, who wants to emulate her father's illustrious career with animals. The eight-year-old Bindi will soon start hosting a 26-episode show called "Bindi the Jungle Girl" on Discovery Kids.

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